Safety device for car-door-operating mechanisms



J. F. OCONNOR.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR CAR DOOR OPERATING MECHANISMS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 25. 1919.

1372 718,, Patenwd 1 m 29, 19210 F 9 .UNH'TED STATES BATENT QFFHQEQ JOHN F. OCONNOR, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOE TO WILLIAM H. MINER, OF

B CHAZY, NEW' YORK.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR CAB-DOOR-OPERATING- MECHANISMS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 29, 19211.

Application filed September 25, 1919. Serial Il'o. 326,127.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN F. OCoNNon, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Safety Devices for Car- Door-Operating Mechanisms, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in safety devices for car door operating mechanisms.

In the opening of doors for dump cars, hopper cars and the like where the doors sustain the load, frequent accidents occur due to the sudden load applied to the operating shaft during the opening movement after the doors are partly opened and the door mechanism proper unlocked.

The sudden loads thus imposed on the shafts cause the claw bars or other tools employed by the operators to be suddenly wrenched out of their hands and frequently cause the operators to be thrown and 1njured.

The object of my invention is to provide a 7 safety device applicable to door operating mechanisms of freight cars of the hopper, general service and dump typegenerally, which safety device will permit of a certain amount of lost motion between the element of the device which is directly operated by the claw bar and the shaft proper of the door operating mechanism so that said shaft is permitted to rotate freely under the influence of the load during the opening operation without affecting the claw bar or other tool held bythe operator.

Another object of the invention is to provide a safety device of the character above indicated which issuitable for all the well known types of self-locking door operation mechanisms now in general use and which will permit of a lost motion between the claw bar and the shaft of a full revolution or more, as desired. i

In the drawing forming a partof this specification, only a portion of the shaft of the door operating mechanism of the car is indicated. The device is applicable to those types of door operating mechanisms such as I shown in the following patents,

Simonton, No. 616,811, December 27, 1898.

Campbell, No. 914,242, March 2, 1909.

Zimmer, No. 1,059,422, April 22, 1913.

In the drawing, Figure l is an elevational view of my improved device as the same appears on a car, a locking dog and cam of well known form being shown in conjunction therewith. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken lengthwise of the operating shaft and illustrating my construction. And Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the structure illustrated in Fig. 2 and taken on the line 33 thereof.

In said drawing, 10 indicates the outer end of the operating shaft of a door operating mechanism of the self-locking type of door mechanism such as shown in any one of the prior patents above mentioned. By the self-locking type of door mechanism is meant, broadly, such an arrangement that, when the doors are in fully closed position, torsion on the shaft or any tendency to -rotate the same caused by the load, is elimihated and it is necessary, in opening the doors, to give the operating shaft a partial turn to unlock the door operating mechanism after which the load on the doors causes the latter to complete their opening movement.

The end of the shaft 10 is preferably made square and secured thereto is one member of the safety device indicated generally by the reference B. The other elements of the safety device comprise a claw bar or other tool actuated member designated C, a

radially extending arm D, and a pin E.

The member B is in the form of a substantially hollow hub having a sleeve por tion 11 socketed to acco mmodate the end of the shaft 10 and to which it is rigidly secured as by means of the pin 12. 7 Outwardly of the sleeve 11, the memberB is provided with an annular rim 13, the latter at. its forward or outer portion having an inturned circular flange 14. 'Said hub or housing member B is provided with an inwardly extending radial lug 15 of approximately the same depth as the flange 14. Around its periphery, the member-B is preferably. provided with a series of radially arranged ranged to cooperate a locking cam 19 in a Well known manner.

The tool operated member C has an outer. square section indicated at 20 adapted to re ceive the claw bar, wrench or other operating tool and inwardly thereof is provided with a cylindrical section as indicated at 21. The latter isrotatably mounted within the hollow hub B, the bearing therefor being provided by the inner edge of the flange 14 and an annular recess 22 in the hub proper. The cylindrical section 21 of the member C has a sector-like recess 23 therein communicating with a central circular recess 24:. The circular recess 24'accommodates the ring-like inner end 25 of the arm D which extends radially therefrom as indicated at 26. As clearly appears from Fig. 8, the arm D is a free to rotate with respect to the member G within the limits of the recess 23 which, as shown, amounts to approximately three-six- 1 teenths of a revolution. "It is evident that the ends of the recess 23 provide shoulders 27 and 28 which engage the arm D to limit the movements of the latter with respect to the memberC.

The pin E is provided to hold the parts in assembled relation, said pin having an en larged head 29 at its inner end which is seated 1n a counter-bore 1n the hub B, said pin E extending through axial perforations in the arm D and the member C. The pin is rigidly secured to the latter as by the rivet 31 and as will be understood the pin E is swivelediwith respect to the hub B so that the members C and D are free to rotate with The operation is as follows: Assuming the doors to be in closed position and the parts in the position shown in the drawing, the operator first releases the dog 17 by shifting the cam 19. This leaves the hub B freeto rotate. The claw bar is then applied to the member 0 and the latter rotated in a counterclockwise direction as viewed'in Figs. 1 and 3. This motion of the member C will. be communicated through the shoulder 28 to the radial arm D. which in. turn will engage the :lug 15 and cause the hub B to rotate in the same direction. Rotation of all three elements B, C and D in this manner-continues uniformly until a partial revolution has taken place at which time the door operating I mechanism proper, of the type referred to,

will have become unlocked and the load on the doors will exert a rotating pull or torque" on the operating shaft 10. This movement of the shaft 10 under the influence of the load will be communicated togthe hub 13 which will runahead of the other-parts of the safety device freely until approximately seven eighths of :a revolution has been completed or until the opposite side of the lug 15 comes' into engagement with the radial arm D. The latter will then be picked up by the lug l5 and a further free movement permitted until the radial arm D traverses the recess 23, thus giving approximately one and one-sixteenth revolutions of lost motion between the shaft 10 and the claw bar operated member C. This amount of lost motion is ample for all the usual types of door operating mechanisms now in use. and obviously eliminates any danger to the operator such as might occur were a load suddenly thrown upon the member C. As hereinbefore mentioned, approximately one and onesixteenth revolutions of lost motion are obtained in the construction shown but this amount may be varied and be made greater or less as desired, without in any way departing from the spirit of the invention.

Toclose the doors, assuming the parts in the position shown most'clearlyin Fig, 3, the operator applies theclaw bar to the member 0 and rotates the latter in a clockwise direction. the shoulder 27 of the member C will pick up the radial arm Dand a continuedmovement'will finally bring'the arm D into en gagement with the opposite side of the lug 15'and thereafter all three parts 13,6 and D, will rotate in unison and effect the locking of the door operating mechanism andwhen the doors are in closedposition, the dog 17 is thrown into place'in the usual manner. In releasing the doors, the parts-may be rotated for short distance in arsimilar direction, that is, clockwise, to advance the hub B Y a sufficient distance to permit disengaging After a partial revolution,

wedged against the'hub, as will be understood by those skilled in the art.

. From the preceding description considered 7 in connection with the drawing, it will be evident that all ofthepartsof my safety device; may. be easily and cheaply manufactured in the, form of castings; the. device possesses ample strength; and the arrange ment is exceedingly compact, particularly with respect to theloverh ang, since allof the cooperatinglugs and shoulders and radial arm which provide for the lost motion, are arranged in the'same general plane perpendicular to the axis of the shaft.

Although I have herein shown and described what I now consider the preferred same is merely illustrative and I contem plate all changes and modifications that manner of carrying out the invention, the a come within the scope of the claims appended hereto. r V

Iclaim: s 1. In a safety device for door operating mechanisms, the combination witha member adapted to be secured-to and rotate in unison with ashaft of the mechanism, said member having a lugrofarsecond member adapted to be actuated by'ajtool and loosely 'rotatably mounted with respect to the first named member; and an arm mounted to rotate about the same axis as that of said second member, said arm having a portion thereof projecting outwardly from said second tool-operated member within the path of travel of said lug, said arm being free to rotate a partial revolution with respect to said second tool-actuated member.

2. In a safety device for door operating mechanisms, the combination with a member adapted to be secured to a shaft of the mechanism to rotate in unison therewith, of a second member adapted to be actuated with a tool in operating the mechanism, each of said members having substantially radially arranged shoulders located in the same general plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation, and an element loosely rotatable for less than a revolution with respect to each of said members and arranged to extend between the shoulders of said members to communicate motion from one to the other.

3. In a safety device for door operating mechanisms, the combination with a member adapted to be secured to and rotate in unison with a shaft of the mechanism, said member having a lug, of a member adapted to be actuated by a tool and loosely rotatable with respect to the first named member, and a radially extending arm mounted to rotate concentrically with the tool actuated member and extending beyond the periphery of the latter within the path of travel of said lug, said arm being free to rotate a partial revolution with respect to the tool actuated member.

4:. In a safety device for door operating mechanisms, the combination wlth two clutch members, one rotatably mounted within the other, one of said members being adapted for attachment to a shaft of the mechanism and the other adapted to be actuated by a tool, said members having each substantially radially extending pairs of shoulders located in the same general plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation but at different radial non-overlapping distances from the axis, and a radially extending arm loosely mounted with respect to both of said members and extending into the paths of movement of all of said shoulders.

5. In a safety device for door operating mechanisms, the combination with a hollow housing having an inwardly extending lug, of a shouldered member loosely rotatably mounted within said housing and of a diameter such that it rotates inside of the inner end of said lug, and a radial arm loosely mounted within the housing and bridging the space between the paths of travel of said lug and said shoulders and cooperable with both.

6. In a safety device for door operating mechanisms, the combination with a hollow housing and arranged to be secured to a shaft of said mechanism and having an inwardly radially extending lug, of a tool actuated member extending within and loosely rotatable in said housing, said member having a sector-like recess therein, and a radially arranged arm freely movable back and forth within said recess and extending beyond the periphery of said member into the path of movement of said lug.

7. In a safety device of the character described, the combination with a hollow hub adapted to be rigidly secured to the shaft of a door operating mechanism, said hub having an annular groove on its interior and a radially extending lug within said groove, of a claw bar actuated element loosely rotatably mounted within said hub and having a sector-like recess in the same plane as said lug, a radially arranged arm concentrically mounted With respect to said element and hub and freely movable back and forth Within said recess, said arm extending beyond the periphery of said element into said annular groove in the path of the radial lug, and means for holding all of said elements in assembled relation.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 8th day of Sept, 1919.

J OHN F, OCONNOR. 

